College of William & Mary latest to rescind honorary degree given to Cosby
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — The board of visitors of The College of William & Mary has voted to rescind an honorary degree awarded to comedian and actor Bill Cosby.
The board issued a statement Friday saying that since it awarded the Masters of Arts degree in 1993, “information came to light and was confirmed that Mr. Cosby engaged in abhorrent conduct antithetical to our university’s core values.”
Cosby was convicted in April of three counts of aggravated indecent assault for drugging and assaulting a Canadian woman at his suburban Philadelphia mansion in 2004. He faces sentencing Sept. 24.
Cosby began his career as a standup comedian and released several bestselling recordings based on his standup act. For three seasons from 1965 to ’68, he co-starred with Robert Culp in the action comedy I Spy, becoming the first black man to have a leading role on a U.S. network TV series.
He went on to play wholesome fatherly roles on two successful sitcoms, The Cosby Show (1984-92) and Cosby (1996-2000), earning him the nickname “America’s Dad.”
A new NBC show slated for 2015 was abruptly cancelled in November 2014 after several women alleged Cosby had sexually assaulted and/or raped them, often after secretly incapacitating them with sedatives or alcohol.
To date, at least 60 women have made such allegations, over a period spanning decades.
Cosby has denied these allegations, but most of the cases resemble the circumstances of the case for which the jury found him guilty last April.
Several schools have rescinded honorary degrees bestowed on Cosby, including Temple University, his alma mater. In June, three Maryland universities rescinded honorary degrees, as did Northwestern University, the first time the school has done so in its 167 years.
— The Associated Press, with files from Postmedia News